There are a variety of types of conventional dispensing closures. One type of prior art dispensing closure system includes a body or base for being attached to the top of a container. The body defines a dispensing opening. The system further includes a lid which is hingedly mounted on the body and which can be lifted up to open the dispensing opening.
Dispensing closures are typically used for dispensing a fluent product from a container. With some types of fluent products, and in some applications, it may be desirable to have the body dispensing opening be substantially unobstructed around most, if not all, of the periphery when the lid is open. It is desirable for the lid to be held as far open as possible so that the lid does not hang down and interfere with the fluent product dispensing process. For example, when dispensing mustard or other fluent condiments from a container through the dispensing opening of a dispensing closure, the user does not want the open lid to contact the discharging product or contact the target area, such as a plate or food item onto which the fluent product is being dispensed.
It would be desirable to provide an improved system for maintaining a lid in an open position during the dispensing product. Further, in some applications, it may be desirable to provide a dispensing closure with multiple dispensing openings having different configurations for selectively dispensing discharge streams having different sizes or configurations. Preferably, if each separate dispensing opening has its own separate lid, a desired dispensing opening can be selected and opened by opening the associated lid while the remaining dispensing openings can remain closed with their own separate lids.
It would be desirable to provide a dispensing closure with multiple dispensing openings and multiple lids that could each be selectively and easily operated between a closed condition and a substantially wide open condition wherein the opened lid is maintained in a substantially wide open condition until the user re-closes the opened lid.
Such a multiple lid closure should accommodate ease of use. Preferably, such an improved multiple lid closure should also permit the area around the dispensing opening to be readily cleaned.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure system which would have components that can be easily manufactured and assembled.
It would also be beneficial if an improved dispensing closure system could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials.
It would also be advantageous if such an improved dispensing closure system could accommodate bottles, containers, or packages which have a variety of shapes and which are constructed from a variety of materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved system could accommodate efficient, high-quality, high-speed, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate to produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.